KRATZMC

Most folks can’t fathom why anyone would travel a 1,000 miles in a continuous run, while sitting on top of fuel tank perched over a hot engine. Until you’ve done it, you’ll never know or understand.

The following best captures what Long Distance Riders are about.

“Long Distance riders are historically a fiercely independent group - we handle our own problems. I believe it was Hmarc who likened us to Modern Mountain Men. We go off on our own battling the elements with complete reliance on our own skill set and supreme confidence. We do things, go places, see things that most people only dream of and will never have the courage to do. Periodically we come down from our mountain perches of solitude to have “Games” that are now called rallies. Where we pit our skills against other like minded people. Then we mount back up and head back to the Mountains and as quickly as we appeared, we are gone again.”

Brian Roberts, LD Riders

Here is a more informal look at Long Distance Riding.

I thought this was a great personal checklist for Fatigue by LD Rider Garth Tomic.

My Fatigue Flags:

Stage one: Uncontrollable yawning.
Cure = Adequate rest before ride and most importantly for me, very frequent 
snacks and WATER. Always eating before hunger and drinking before thirst. 
An empty bladder helps too.
Do wee talk about external condom catheters here? I do.

Stage two: Mis-identification of somewhat distant physical objects, such as 
misidentifying a piece of white scrap plastic as a fallen mailbox.
Cure = Get off bike, Rest

Stage three: Micro Sleeps: Sudden awareness of objects that should have 
been observed well before reaching them.
Cure = One should never reach this point.

Stage four: Inability to gauge closing speeds.
Cure = One should never reach this point, you are toast.

I stop my ride at stage two.  Only once and never again for stage three or 
four.

Stages for a Bun Burner Gold

My typical sequence of attitudes during BBGs.

300 miles = Cripes, I've only done 300 miles!

500 miles = 500 miles and only a third of the way there.  This is nuts.

600 through 1000 = Anybody with a single hair on their ass can do a thou.

1000 through 1500 = I've got a thousand plus miles in this venture, I not quitting unless my
well known fatigue flags appear, period.

1500 through 1800 = (I'll let you know after the third attempt).